Tag Archives: Comic Books

The official trailer for Dark Phoenix dropped late last night on The Late Late Show With James Corden… From the looks of it FOX is going a bit darker with their X-Men franchise. And as always it’s Professor Xavier’s fault. Look for Dark Phoenix in theaters February 14, 2019.

Since writing the first Top Five so many great figures have been released and toy hunting has been so much fun. My greatest finds came from Geek’d Con this year with the Toys R Us exclusive Scarlet Witch & Vision two-pack, and purple haired Psylocke because at the time that wave of figures hadn’t made it to my area… Now to my top five!

Sabertooth

This figure brings me back to the 90’s and the X-Men cartoon from FOX Kids. The face sculpt is spot on and if you put him next to Old Man Logan in a fighting stance he just towers over Logan.

Thor (Ragnarok)

I been wanting to get a Thor figure for some time now but none of them did it for me until I saw the Ragnarok version. The detail on the armer is very good. He is kinda back heavy because of the half cape but once you get him standing he’s not going anywhere.

Proxima Midnight

When this figure was first released I passed on it but after watching Infinity War a few times over she grew on me. And the hunt was on and thankfully Target had her. She’s taller than a majority of the other figures in my collection. She has some of the best articulation.

Carnage

Just one of the best looking figures. Comes with a lot of accessories even a Cletus Kasady head that is spot on comic accurate.

Typhoid Mary

When it was announced Typhoid Mary was being released this year I was hoping for that 80’s big hair look but we got the modern day leather jacket style. And I’m okay with that, I been wanting more DareDevil villains. And what the dirt sheets are reporting, we may see a live action Typhoid Mary in Iron Fist season two.

If you collect Marvel Legends what are some of your favorite figures or complete waves? Sound off below in the comments.

This past weekend I attended my very first convention, Geek’d Con. For years I’ve heard stories from the Drunken Zombie crew about their adventures. Now I’ve experienced what they been talking about for years…

Leading up to this trip I had a couple goals in mind. One – Marvel Legends, I’ve built an army of figures and still looking for more. Two – video game or comic art to hang on my wall. Those two goals were accomplished quickly and that gave me time to walk the floor. But Doiner! What about meeting celebrities and such. To be honest, not the best lineup of guest for myself. Sure Mick Foley will be there but I can care less about the guy who voiced Jack Skellington. It wasn’t until Brian Knobbs was announced I thought about standing in line for a meet and greet.

Friday was a lot of driving and storytelling. It wasn’t until we stopped getting cell services when the real fun took play. But those stories are for a private conversation, if you will. When you have three big guys who skipped breakfast, lunch became an event or as the people at the Keachie Kountry Store will say, legend. You see… Three guys from the beach in the backwoods of Louisiana. One with a backwards cap, another with a CBT shirt and a guy wearing a Houston Texans cap. I’ve seen a lot of horror movies, I know what comes next… We walked in to a half store half dive and not talking about like the ones you see on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. This place was spooky at times but the wait staff and food was excellent. We chatted with everyone about Geek’d Con and who’s going to be there. After we made friends with the townsfolk we were one step closer to getting to Shreveport.

The first thing we did when we got to Shreveport was check into our motel at the Red Roof Inn and when I say this place was bad it makes the Bates Motel look five stars. Here’s the rundown… My original room was trashed beds flipped, chairs turned over, I got out of there quick. So I was put in another room and this time no running water for an hour. Next thing I knew Rafael switched rooms because of the water being off, wasn’t just me. After getting settled in and disinfecting the joint I found a couple treasures. A pair of socks and ten cents. Oh! And to lock your rooms door, I had to lift the door up and lock it at the same time…

I took security measures for my safety.

That evening we met up with a few more friends and hit up a casino. Good thing Raf and I brought our suits. Because we were limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin’ n’ dealin’ all night long. We left the ladies wanting more, WOO! After a few hours of gambling and earning we hit up the Con for a few hours. I made my rounds, found enough Marvel Legends to hold me over. I got the layout of the joint and I was ready for Saturday…

Saturday… Morning, wake up call, Rafael… Get up, get ready. With Roddy Piper’s theme blaring in my hotel room it was time to put on the kilt and jacket. I was ready. Waiting for the doors to open I spotted a few marks and we gave each other Too Sweets or a head nod. Once in I split from the pack to search for more Marvel Legends and this time… Jackpot! MCU War Machine, Ragnarok Thor all on the cheap, but to the guy who wanted $50 for Cyclops or Rogue… Take your internet prices somewhere else.

While walking around taking in everyone’s awesome costumes I got a phone call from Rafael saying Brian Knobbs didn’t have a long line if I wanted a picture. I made my way down there and sure enough, no one! Walked up got a picture autograph combo and he told me a Shawn Michaels story. Good times.

I may get heat for this, looking at you Patterson! But Constantine (2005) is a good movie by my standards. Another person I got the picture autograph combo treatment was from Pruitt Taylor Vince. He played Father Hennessy. Such a nice guy, told story after story. Nicest guy ever… I was informed that different panels were taking place and John Wesley Shipp (The Flash) was coming up soon. After the meet and greets I went back on the hunt for more Marvel Legends and every time I walk past a booth I been to someone was restocking more Legends. So I found my last ML for the day, the variant purple hair Psylocke.

I finally made it to John Wesley Shipp’s panel talk, I was late but I made it. After food and regrouping with everyone and agreeing to see Helen Slater talk about her film career and staying for a viewing of Supergirl (1984) I needed to find something to hang on my wall and wow did I find something cool. I stopped by The Pixelized Princess booth and they had 8-bit bead art but placed said characters on paintings. Great idea! Got myself a Friday the 13th picture. It’s awesome!

At this point the Con had about four or five hours left before closing for the night and I decided I wanted a picture autograph combo with Mick Foley if his line wasn’t long. Yes, I’m a mark and I’m not a huge Foley fan but I liked his early Mankind gimmick. When I got there the line was short about six people and a couple came in right after me. While waiting a announcement was made, once everyone in this line has met Mick Foley he’s taking a break. That’s when they closed the line.

I finally made it to Foley, got to chat with him about his WCW run and facing Vader. Nice guy, what else is there to say. Around the same time I had to make it to Helen Slater’s panel talk, got there took a seat and she talked about Supergirl. Keep in mind I never seen the Supergirl movie. Q&A with the audience and a few questions about The Legend of Billie Jean were ask, I was happy about that.

Now it was time for the movie… Rafael, Dustin, and I was set and ready… AND… What an awful movie. If I would’ve gotten an autograph from Helen Slater I would have given it back to her and tell her to keep the money, I don’t want a refund. My time watching this movie was spent texting Patterson! and play by play commentary with Rafael. The scene with the front end loader was ridiculous. A giant tire falls, Lucy Lane gets knocked out, Jimmy Olsen never takes pictures to document the damage and so forth. And when ask if she had a transcript, she types one up herself. Who gave her the knowledge that she needed one. And how does she phase in and out of her school uniform. This movie makes no sense. At this point I was so bored I started reading the Geek’d Con program. I had more fun talking about roundabouts or how people bust their belt when all they’re doing is sitting in a chair watching a movie… Looking at you Rafael.

Once the movie was over I first out and never watching this awful movie again, I mean there wasn’t even an end credits scene. How lame is that.

Sunday morning it was time to head home, what a weekend it’s been. Would I do it all over again, I would because I had so much fun. Nothing like hanging with friends and laughing in a place where everyone enjoys the same entertainment as you do. Before we made it home we stopped back in that half store half dive to see what everyone was up too but the morning staff was working…

We made it home and here I am writing this, documenting my first convention. I had a blast and hopefully do it all again next year… Visit Doiner.com for pictures of Geek’d Con 2018.

Since joining The Syndicate on facebook and seeing everyone’s Marvel Legends collection I had to get back into the action figure game that was not WWE related. I been buying Marvel figures since the 90’s when ToyBiz was making every Marvel character you can think of. I still have most of those figures today but in storage.

What got me buying again was seeing the Marvel Legends Captain America (Infinity War) and Mr. Fantastic and once I got ahold of those figs, the hunt was on for more! Now to my top five…

Kingpin

Before Hasbro, ToyBiz was making Marvel Legends and the Face-Off collection came at the right time for me because I was heavily reading Daredevil and when I saw the two-pack Kingpin vs Daredevil I knew I had to buy it. I’ve seen many Kingpin figs over the years and this one is perfect in every way.

Human Torch

I had many Human Torch figures growing up but none of them ever felt right when it came to comic book likeness. Some figs would be half human and half flams but with ML I think I found “my” Human Torch figure. The flame effects are minimal and just enough.

Hawkeye

Since Hawkeye made his debut in the MCU all I been seeing is MCU Jeremy Renner or sunglass wearing Hawkeye. I prefer the classic comic book version. The only drawback are the accessories, the bow he comes with and quiver is all purple. Wish it was better detailed and colored differently.

Ghost Rider with Flame Cycle

I’m not huge on Ghost Rider but this set is very cool looking. The flames coming off the bike, flaming chain, it all looks nice sitting on a shelf. The figure itself is basic but the head sculpt is nice with a jaw hinge for up and down movement, red eyes for the penance stare.

The Punisher (Netflix)

The spot on likeness of Jon Bernthal is absolutely amazing. The fading on the skull has nice details. Just a great looking figure overall.

With almost every Marvel Legends figures you get a build a figure part to build another character. I have many parts but never actually built a figure. I just buy the figs I want and keep BAF parts in a box. If you are looking for parts, let me know and I’ll send a picture over of what I have. And when it comes to fantasy booking… I want to see a Dolph Lundgren Punisher from the 1989 movie, and a figure of Ravage 2099.

You just simply keep a good slasher down. Throughout 8 movies, a shitty remake and a Tales From The Crypt-esque style syndicated television show, not to mention millions and millions of dollars worth of merchandise, Freddy Krueger has haunted the dreams of the world for more than 30 years.

Now that the movies are seemingly over, at least for the foreseeable future, I decided to take a look back at some of the other mediums that Freddy has dreamed his way into, especially in the world of Comics.

In 1991, the same year that Freddy’s Dead hit theaters, independent publisher, Innovation Comics, obtained the rights to publish a new line (pun intended) of stories featuring the Springwood Slasher. This would take the form of 3 story arcs.

The first 2 arc, published in Nightmares on Elm Street, take place between Nightmare 5 and Freddy’s Dead. While fairly run of the mill in the art work department, the stories massively expand on several ideas that were never fully fleshed out in parts 3 through 5, namely the physics, rules and realms of the dreamscape.

The first arc (issues 1 and 2) features an all new character, Cybil Houch, a Jack The Ripper researcher. Cybil has been having nightmares of The Ripper for weeks as he stalks her in her dreams.

Through Jack’s exposition we learn that he was also a Freddy like figure, possessing powers much like his, though the extent of them aren’t spoken of in much detail. That in itself could have been a very interesting comic in itself as it hints at dream monsters throughout mankind’s history.

We come to find that Cybil was a one time college room mate of Nancy Thompson. As Nancy’s home begins to appear in her Freddy induced nightmares she decides to hunt down her room mate, only to find out that she had died several years later.

Cybil tracks down Dr. Neil Gordon from Nightmare 3 who is currently working on dream therapy after his run in with Freddy. Neil realizes that Freddy is once again killing and rushes to Cybil’s aid after she falls asleep while on the phone with him.

Neil decides to take Cybil into the dream world and finds Nancy alive and well in what she calls “The Beautiful Dream”, a sort of Anti-Nightmare that Freddy can’t touch. Nancy has been protecting Neil for years from Freddy and growing in her powers as a dream protector, but not yet strong enough to take on Freddy.

Towards the end of the arc, we also discover that, aside from The Beautiful Dream and The Nightmare, there is a 3rd dreamscape. This plane is reserved for the dreams of the unborn, where babies, still in their mothers womb reside in their perpetual dream until birth.

The 3 face off with Freddy for a “final” showdown in what I am calling The “Babyscape” with an abrupt ending that comes out of nowhere and leaves you confused as to what really just happened.

The story is finished in the following arc, but we as the reader don’t know that at first and until I was able to finally read the next four issues, I was seriously disappointed in what was clearly an end to that particular story.

The first two comics are interesting from a story perspective for a few reasons…

One of the biggest points of confusion for me with the Nightmare series was part 4. While one of the best of sequels, right behind 3 in my opinion, it always seemed like there was a bigger story that was left on some part of the cutting room floor. In particular the idea that was only hinted on of the Dream Gate Guardians when Freddy tells Alice that he has been guarding his gate for a long time after she assumes her mantle as The Dream Master. This idea however is central to the story in Nightmares as we learn that Nancy is the guardian of the Beautiful Dream while Freddy is the guardian of The Nightmares.

Of course this also raises a question that, as Nightmare Guardians have been around throughout mankind’s history, has there also been a Beautiful Dream guardian as well, and what about the Babyscape? Is there a guardian for that as well?

The final panel of issue 2 also raises the question that, since Freddy is stuck in Springfield, are there other Nightmare Gate Guardians elsewhere in the world, possibly stuck in their respective killing fields, still haunting the dreams of those that live there. Questions we may never find the answer to.

Personally I loved that the books touched on things that were presented in Nightmares 3, 4 and 5. There was enough familiarity in the comics to make it seem like we were coming back to a world we were already familiar with while presenting new ideas and expanding on ones already presented.

All in all the first story arc in Nightmares On Elm Street does a wonderful job on expanding on the universe of the Elm Street movies and reunite us with some of our favorite Freddy survivors. The artwork, while certainly nothing special, gets the job done and, for an independent publisher, isn’t too bad.

If you are interested in these books, they are available on ebay and amazon, but can run on the slightly pricey side of things. If the price deters you, there are always ways to read them. The internet is a big, big place.

In Part 2 we will be taking a look at the next 4 issues of the 6 issue run of Nightmares, how it abruptly throws us into a new, yet familiar story and expands the universe even further, but until then, sweet dreams!